Bhubaneswar, September 18 (IANS) Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday expressed deep pain over the tragic death of 25 -year -old women traffic constable Subhamitra Sahu, who went missing from Bhubaneswar on 6 September and was murdered ten days later.
In a post on X, Patnaik said that the incident had “surprised and suffering”, and raised serious concerns about the effectiveness of the police and home department in handling such important cases.
“A young woman constable, serving under the Commissioner Police, goes missing from the state capital, and her body is found ten days later. It is a shocking and disturbing.
He further said that if the police cannot locate their own personnel for ten days, then it is difficult to imagine the situation of ordinary citizens in this situation.
He also told media reports that the victim’s father had named the suspect in the case, yet the investigation failed to function decisively, eventually to a tragic end.
Patnaik also added the incident with a comprehensive pattern of crimes against women in Odisha, recalling previous matters such as gangs raped in Gopalpur and Baliharchandi, and warned that such incidents could happen without immediate reforms in the working style of the Home Department and the State Police Force.
He said, “The Home Department should get up from its sleep immediately. Without accountability and improvement, more families will continue to lose their daughters. The safety of women cannot be compromised,” they said in their posts.
In particular, Subhamitra’s husband and a fellow constable, Deepak Kumar Raut strangled him on 6 September due to controversies on financial matters, including Subhmitra’s demand of Rs 20,00,000 to conduct his marriage ceremony according to Vedic rituals. He later buried his body in a forest near Ghatgaon area of Kenjhar district.
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